City's First Methadone Clinic to Open

When up to 40 per cent of patients using emergency room services are
there because of addiction to pain pills, having a methadone clinic in
the city makes perfect sense to Bill Leslie.

Leslie, director of the Central Alberta Methadone Program, already
knew the need existed because he saw at least 100 Lethbridge clients
at methadone clinics in Medicine Hat and Calgary. When he learned
space was available at the Northside Medical Clinic, he and his team
went into action. Leslie oversees methadone clinics in Red Deer,
Calgary and Medicine Hat.

"This problem is North America-wide. Our society has a severe problem
with drugs," Leslie said. "The role of the methadone program is: one,
we want to get these people off the drugs and back into being
contributing members of society; and two, to decrease the abuse to the
health-care system and three, to decrease criminality."

The methadone program will be located downstairs at the Northside
Medical Clinic on 13 Street North, officially opening its doors July
2. The main floor, equipped to handle a staff of seven doctors, will
remain as a medical clinic. The clinic's owner, Dr. Tom Melling, will
retire at the end of the month but Leslie intends to recruit new
family doctors. In addition, the clinic will have a pharmacy.

Methadone treatment is used for people who are addicted to opiates.
Morphine is a pure opiate and its derivatives include drugs like
heroin, OxyContin, Percocet, Dilaudid and codeine.

People may become addicted because of early childhood trauma, chronic
pain or from staying on pain killers too long after an injury.

"When they are taken off them they find themselves going into opiate
withdrawal," Leslie said. "It's horrible. You're hot and cold with
profuse sweating, diarrhea and severe joint and muscle pain. But they
know if they go out and get a pill it'll all go away."

Supporting a drug habit can cost $500 a day. Leslie said a
40-milligram tablet of OxyContin can sell on the street for anywhere
between $15 and $25. Some people take 10 to 15 pills a day.

More often than not, people addicted to opiates are also addicted to
drugs like cocaine, crystal methamphetamine and Ritalin, known as
uppers. Addicts depend on opiates to bring them down so they can sleep
and often turn to crime to support their drug habits. People on uppers
like cocaine tend to commit violent crimes while those on downers like
opiates may be involved in prostitution or break and enters. People
from all walks of life can become addicted to opiates and a high
percentage are working people, Leslie said.

"Methadone is a synthetic narcotic that is able to coat the pleasure
receptors in the individual's brain so they no longer crave or go into
withdrawal symptoms," Leslie said. "When you're stabilized on the
correct dose of methadone you're able to do what anybody else can do."

A methadone prescription costs $12 a day. In the beginning, the
methadone is mixed with orange juice and a pharmacist witnesses the
patient drink it. Once urinalysis shows the person is free of mind and
mood altering substances, they then can start taking a day's dose home.

Counselling is the second prong of treatment as research has shown
methadone and counselling together are more successful.

The methadone clinic will be staffed by a psychiatrist, two therapists
and a secretary. In the beginning, staff will be in the office on
Fridays from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Leslie's also looking to add a doctor
in training for addiction treatment and an additional counsellor.
Off-site confidential treatment will be provided when deemed
appropriate.

Leslie also intends to work closely with the Blood Tribe as
prescription drug abuse has been identified as a severe problem on the
reserve.

Anyone interested in participating in the program can call
403-394-1234 to arrange for an intake.